On his recent visit to Delhi, Robert Desvaux, Chairman of Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, shared the reason for Mauritius leading the way in containing ecological damage
Be it actors, politicians or social workers, hardly any celebrity in the world has given a miss to a visit to Mauritius. A country small enough to be described as a dot in the ocean, it attracts tourists by the droves. It’s not surprising as this is a country where nature has bestowed the best of sunlight, the best colours of sea, the best colours of earth and the second best fresh air in the world.
Realising the importance of its heritage, Mauritius is geared up to cash in on the opportunity. “Tourists are increasing day by day in Mauritius. But still our target is to reach up to 100,000 tourists in the coming years. We are now only 50,000,” said Robert Desvaux, chairman of Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority.
Desvaux, who was on a visit to Delhi recently for the promotion of Mauritius tourism also reasoned why Mauritius had become a catwalk for celebrities. “Our islands are very large. Therefore, you can find
private beaches in the front of every hotel. In Mauritius many cultures reside together like Indian, Chinese, Portuguese and African.
Because of a mix of many cultures you can also find many international dishes like Chinese, American and Indian,” said Desvaux. “We provide many adventurers sports too. We give an option to choose from under water sports, on water sports, on ground sports to in sky sports.”
Asked why this beautiful group of islands has the highest rate of returning tourists Desvaux explained, “We have near about 40 per cent tourists who are returning tourists. There are numerous reasons behind
it, like hospitality, hotels beaches and services. At the same time we have maintained our environment very well. And whatever we promise prior to visit we deliver the same. Therefore, every tourist wants to
visit Mauritius again and again. Our tourism also contributes 10 per cent to our GDP.”
Expanding further on how the country managed to sustain the environment despite the high tourist footfall, particularly in comparison to other tourists destinations, Desvaux informed, “Everyone
knows that we are among those countries that have sustained their resources well. We believe in renewable energy and a decision not to pollute. We don’t even throw the leftover of the sugar cane in sea. We make it into ethanol, that is equivalent to petrol.”
